Internal Combustion Engines (ICE)

Reduced carbon fuels for today’s fleet remain a critical part of this work. Further progress is possible with radically new sustainable fuels, for which we are already developing new efficient engine and propulsion system technologies.

Hydrogen contains no carbon, so allows us to build engines that emit zero CO2 at the tailpipe. A whole family of fully synthetic hydrocarbons are showing significant potential in the longer term. All of these fuels will be more expensive than the fossil fuels they replace, but they unlock a route to net zero in hard-to-electrify applications that are crucial to our way of life.

Almost all of these engines will be part of a hybridised propulsion system that allows the engine itself to be optimised for converting chemical energy into useful work at the highest levels of efficiency and cleanliness by exploiting the flexibility offered by the electrical system.